I read this forum daily and have seen the questionable Model T Hearses on e-bay. My question is did they have/make/fabricate hearses (not ambulances)??? If so does anyone have a real picture? Thank you.

I took some pictures of a Model t hearse that belongs to a funeral home here in Tennessee several years ago at the state funeral directors convention. I have been looking for them for some time time and cannot seem to locate them, however, for what it's worth, I did see the car in person.

1. I have never seen any documentation yet that the Ford Motor Company USA produced a Model T auto or truck hearse. On pages 462 through 473 Bruce McCalley in his book "The Model T Ford" has listings of cars & trucks along with the type of body etc. that were produced. It gets down into some details (years are usually fiscal years before 1921 and calendar years 1921 and later)such as:

1910 2 Landaulets 1912 1 coupe 1917 3 trucks (would have been chassis only) 1919 18 Town cars it drops down to the Branch level in 1921 with only 51 touring cars without starters and 407 with starters produced that year in the Denver assembly plant (and it has details on 25 total assembly plants) Ambulances are listed for 1916-1919 (over 25,000 most produced in 1916) 1925 98 Grain Body TT total production and all produced at the Chicago Assembly plant 1927 91 OPen Cab TT (1 produced at Atlanta, Cincinattie, and more produced at other plants).

And I have seen some other listings that get down to less than 10 of a body type be produced. I share that to say -- If he had produced them, there is a good chance it would have been recorded (not 100% but at least 95%).

2. Ford Motor Company USA did produce a Model AA hearse based on their AA Ambulance body (same large rear opening etc.) but I am not aware of a T or TT version produced by the factory. The oversea companies -- we do not have near as much information about them -- so I cannot say one way or the other.

3. Numerous funeral homes and some small business did convert the T and later TT chassis to hearses. The early T hearses often were constructed by taking the horse drawn hearse body off the wagon and mounting it to the T.

Reference your question about "...why there is seldom (if ever) any talk of anyone with a hearse?" How many people do you know that have a hearse antique or other wise? Very few are produced. Very few people like the idea of a daily driver hearse (although we have someone near my work that drives a replica of the movie "Ghost Busters" hearse.

For example -- I have dreamed of restoring my 1915 cut off as many different types of cars (touring, cut off, roadster, speedster, depot hack, WWI ambulance (I have a stretcher for that one and I like military history), Smith-Form a truck, etc. I have never considered making it into a hearse and still would not do that to my car. In general many of us avoid talking about death ... we sort of like to ignore it and hope it never comes very close to us.

No other car maker ever made a hearse either. All of them of any make were conversions done by custom body makers, as were the Model T and Model A hearses that exist.

By Jim Eck on Saturday, February 09, 2008 - 02:02 pm:

I purchased a T Hearse at an auction sale about 35 years ago that a farmer had purchased for his kids to go to school in. He told me they wouldn't ride in it so he put it in the trees and the weather got the best of it. All I was able to get was the engine which was a 1915 engine and a brass radiator. They wouldn't let me cut the tree down that had grown through the frame and what was left of the body. As I remember it was an all wood body so I'm sure there isn't any thing left of it now if I could find the farm.

One interesting thing was the radiator was a brass radiator but it had a black shroud around it. That is why it didn't go into the scrap in the war. I didn't know it was a 15 or brass radiator till I got it home. It is to bad I didn't take any pictures of it.

Here is a picture of a 14 that they wont sell that is going to the way of many T's Who knws it may be a Hearse???

What a shame to let that rot,what the heck they think they can do with it by letting it get worse I dont know.Alot of it is,imho,a trophy,They have it,you want it,tough,haha type thing.

I studied a little about the later hearses because I was looking at a authentic Cadillac station wagon,mid 70's version.only about 4 built by a company that built hearses but they would build a wagon on request.Probably used for flower cars and such. I found a 74 Lincoln wagon I wanted but to far away at that time and to little money.sorry to go off topic,but as for driveing a hearse,Well,Let me do a station wagon conversion on it and it would make a nice tow rig!

I am in the process of restoring a 1922 chassis. It started out to be a hearse, but my wife has about talked me out of that. I guess me being a funeral director and embalmer might make my interest in a model T hearse a little better understood.

According to your profile looks like I should say "Welcome aboard." For sure as a funeral director you would have more interest in them. I would guess your family would much rather ride in a touring than a hearse. A good "win-win" might be to restore the 1922 as a family car (whatever type they like -- touring, roadster, speedster, depot hack, Centerdoor, coupe, etc. Then the next one could be related to your business.

Your profile listed a 1922 touring -- if you have a chance please look at the right front floor board riser and see if there is a number embossed into the metal riser (or stamped into the wood one if it is still wood).

A year or two ago one of our Model T club's tours took us to a Wagon and Buggy Museum. There were a couple of hearses there, and I thought at the time that it would have been a simple matter for the makers to adapt them to a TT chassis. I'd think you'd want to use a TT chassis because of the size and weight of them. (Besides, they weren't in a hurry when in use.) They were very similar to the one pictured above in the post by Mr. Cuddy.

I have a 25 panel truck. A lot of people have asked me if it was a hearse & my stock answer is they would have to be a midget. I am about 5.5 and if I try to lay in the back my feet hang out. The only way I could see making a hearse out of it would be to extend the body & then you may have a handling problem. Nelson

Thank you so much for sharing the information. That actually was a piece of the puzzle I was looking for. At the Model A Ford Club of America web site they have a listing of body styles for the AA truck at: http://www.mafca.com/bodycodes-aa.html . One was a Funeral Service 270-A and another was a Funeral Coach 275-A. They did not have any pictures of those two models and I wasn't sure which one was the hearse. I guess it turns out that neither one was. Do you happen to know what the Funeral Service vehicle was? A Flower Car or possibly something else?

I cannot locate my book "The Model A Ford as Henry Built It" but if someone has a copy handy, I believe they show some pictures of those body styles.

Now here is a trivia question to stump the experts at the next local meeting: When is a Model T Funeral Coach correctly called a Model T Hearse? When it runs out of gas and the farmer’s team is pulling it. (At least I think that is correct)

Hap: Funeral Service vehicle was probably a panel type body, no side windows, used , at that time, for still popular "house funerals" to convey funeral paraphernalia, chairs, flowers, flower stands & related equipment.

Looked at the "Biography" DVD on Henry Ford that was done in 1994. Theres footage of Henry's funeral outside of church, shows the funeral coach,,,,,,, but I could not determine the make of the chassis, or body maker.

Hap: The first & only house funeral that I was involved was in 1988. The early days thought was that the home was a man's castle & what better place for his funeral....... only the paupers without a home were laid out at the funeral home.

About 30 years ago, the owner of a Funeral Home in Sapulpa OK restored a Model T Hearse (that's what he called it). It had a brass radiator and was very ornate. It was on a car chassis with extensions on the year. This man is still alive, but confined to a Nurseing home with severe mental problems. I'll try to find out what happened to the Hearse and get more info if I can.

"Bad Day at Black Rock" is a 1956 movie with a funeral coach. Looks to be about a '26 Dodge, which wasn't all that old at that time.

I remembered the movie from when I saw it in a theater. Just caught it with the tivo on Turner Classics. Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin and Ernie Borgnine are some of the notables in it. The other cars in it are pre-war potato cars.

I'm glad this thread went on for a while!!! I guess my interest is that the Model T was the car that changed the world but you seldom hear of a hearse or funeral coach model? I would think that people 1915 - 1927 would have wanted to be carried for their last ride in a motorized funeral coach. Sounds like either other models or modified bodies off of horse drawn wagons were fitted to the T. Thank you all for your comments.

Goodbody's in San Diego? I used to be an embalmer and worked for a while for the Benbough chain of mortuaries in San Diego county

By dave willis on Sunday, February 10, 2008 - 04:23 am:

i think one has to remember that horses were still a viable means of transport well into the model t era.....as far as funeral transport was concerned, the churchyard or cemetary was usually close to where you lived [and died]...certainly there was no hurry to get there, so a horsedrawn transport was a good solution. i remember a photo of a 20's dirt track race with a horsedrawn ambulance at the ready in case of an accident!!

"I would guess your family would much rather ride in a touring than a hearse."

Those are almost my wifes exact words.She was not to keen on our children riding around in the back of a hearse on folding jumper seats. We already have a 1922 Touring car that we enjoy. This chassis will in fact be #2, which as I understand is common place. It seems one is just not enough. Anyway the body for the chassis that I was going to build the hearse on is still on the drawing table. I do want a closed in car of some sort for the cooler fall and winter here, so we may go with some type of wood body-depot hack-station wagon-....type, well it's still on the table. Also thanks for the Welcome, these cars are still rather new to me, but I have already spent alot of time reading on this forum. Between here and the local Model T club (Smokey Mt, T's) all questions so far have been cleared up.

You are right … the T’s seem to multiply for some reason. For some ideas on possible enclosed bodies see Wagon Works at: http://members.aol.com/wagonwork2/ . Also the Lang’s 2006 catalog added several additional bodies to their previous selection.

I was thinking if you did one of the open hucksters, or a depot hack etc. if you built it (or requested it to be built) with removable rear seats, you could do a roll down side curtain with a “xxx Mortuary name” or something similar. (You could also have fun with the numerous mortuary jokes .. but that would depend on your interest and how your boss might take your hobby jokes). When you wanted to display/use it as a Funeral Coach you could put those side curtains on it. When you wanted to use it as the family sedan – swap out the “mortuary name” advertising curtain for the normal ones with the see through sections. Add the back seat (or seats) and off you go. Most folks wouldn’t notice that it was too short for a full size casket. But for those who did, you could hit the website in my posting above and print off the information about the children’s Funeral Coach.

Good luck with your pursuit. And if stays just a vehicle for the family, you can always do a third T for the business advertisement.

Mr. Willis, horses (and mules) were still a big part of our daily lives in the 30's and into the early 40's in our area of Central Texas. Lots of folks went to Church in a wagon, also to the annual Confederate Reunion and etc., the teams and wagons were there and paid for, cars and gas were expensive and etc. I very well remember going to funerals up to about 40 or 41 where a horse drawn hearse was used, again, the trip was short and the equipment was there and available, I am talking about in our isolated and very poor area. I wish I knew where that old hearse and harness went, the harness had the black plumes of some sort and etc., the hearse had glass sides, if you have seen the movie "The Magnificent Seven" you will see what I am talking about. There was/is a service somewhere in Texas that would furnish a team and hearse, I attended a funeral in Montana years ago that used one, had no idea who the departed was, just wanted to see the rig in action.

Stevenson Funeral Homes, now based out of Miles City, Montana has a beautiful glass-sided horse drawn hearse, with a four-up hitch of black Percherons that they will provide for services. The also have a Surrey (covered) type of spring wagon for the pallbearers or family drawn by a matched team of Belgians. They provide this service all over eastern Montana, have (or did have) a semi with a trailer to haul the rigs and the horses. We laid my stepdad to rest with those in Baker, about 80 miles from Miles City. At that time, about 18 years ago, the cost was about $750 to use the horses instead of the funeral coach, which probably only paid for the cost of the two drivers and the transport. I can't imagine they could make any money at that price. It was a fitting last ride for a man who was born in a sheepwagon and raised in a dugout and lived his life as a horseman. Here in town, a company called Somewhere in Time provides horse drawn service with a hearse owned by Dale Carpenter. They pull it with a team of Clydesdales and have a variety of vehicles for family, pallbearers, etc., including a brougham, a vis-a-vis and a spring wagon. They have a semi truck and provide this service all over western Montana and Idaho. As you might guess, with horses practically outnumbering people in Montana there are quite a few funerals using their services. Many years ago, during early homestead days, Mr. Ayres, who ran the drug store in Ismay would use Mrs. Prindle's Model T to go out into the country and pick up bodies. He attended an embalming school in about 1915 and started a funeral service out of the back of his drug store. I doubt that they ever had a hearse, if they did it would have been horse drawn. When I first heard this--when I was little kid--I thought he sat them up in the seat and hauled them in but they said he always wrapped the body in blankets and placed it in the back. There is a funeral company in Beach, North Dakota that has a hhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmm??? 1929 Studebaker that they still use for services although I assume they have a newer coach, too.

I know, we're not supposed to post anything that isn't directly related to T's or anything off topic but I think this is funny and maybe some of you do to. I went to a funeral in Great Falls a couple years ago for a tractor collector who was a nice old guy but about as full of it as anybody could get. They hauled him to the cemetery in a wagon behind one of his tractors. One of the guys in the tractor club, as he watched them pull out of the parking lot at the church, said. "I think they should have used a manure spreader for Bud, it would have been more appropriate."

Thank you Stan for refreshing my memory, I am almost positive that it was in Miles City that I attended the services behind the rig, I kept the business card of the folks for years, thinking I would use them myself.

I'd also think that the T funeral carriage would have not gotten much publicity since most of the people who rode in them didn't boast about the quality of the ride of beauty of the furnishings. <groan>

By Sherm Wetherbee on Monday, February 11, 2008 - 11:29 am:

Mulhane Funernal Services in Millbury Massachusetts Has a 1923 TT funeral coach with carved wood side panels and an 1880's horse drawn hearse, both of which are available for service. In fact, over the years, several of our local club members have had their last ride in the Model T. Search for Mulhane Funeral Service Millbury, click on virtual tour for pictures of both.

According to Douglas Brinkley's book "Wheels for the World", (a book written for the Ford centennial in 2003 and sanctioned by FMC), on page 519 it states that good old Henry's narrow house was taken to the cemetery in a 1942 Packard hearse.

I have no connection with the seller of this fine auto and hope to have at least a few years left before I need one. Perhaps if you Goggled "mother in law recliner" you might come up with more of these horseless carriages.

P.S. Didn't William Randolph Hearse make these. Lord knows he was already in heaven with all that money sitting there in his castle.

Roger K., thank you for your interest in the Confederate Veterans. The annual Reunion was the main thing in our lives back then, we had no radios, newspapers or anything else, went to town once a month to trade butter and eggs and etc. The Reunion is still being held by the descendants at Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftwood, Texas, it is the last Confederate Reunion Ground still owned and run by the descendants, all the others have been turned into public type parks. We have the Reunion on the week of the full moon in June, it started in 1896, the last original Veteran died in I believe 1947, all my people were of course in the Confederacy, and all in this part of Texas were all very active at these Reunions. My Dad's Mom and Dad raised me, we would take the wagon to the Reunion. Grandma would sleep in the wagon, we slept on the ground underneath. Yes, there were still plenty to visit with and talk to, they mostly died off in the late 30's, 40's. Those that were there would tell tales, we were raised on them, lots had full beards and still had their rifles, Lord knows I wish I had a tape recorder, but they weren't even invented then. My great grandfather is buried on what was his ranch very close to the Reunion Grounds, he was in McCord's, other Veterans of my family are all around, some in private cemeteries, some in public. We had a Confederate Home in Austin for the indigent Veterans, it was torn down in the 1970's, lots of history went with it, I had kin buried on the grounds. I named my boy after a great great uncle who was wounded and captured at Gettysburg, lots more to tell but don't want to bore you.

Amen to that, Tyler! Grady, now there are tape recorders - you should record your own & others stories you remember - or, since you are good at writing, why not collect your memories on a webpage like Norris Chambers from Tarrant County has done: http://www.norrisc.com/index.html

Besides a 1920 model T Touring, I own a 1912 White, and it's a funeral coach. White, like Ford, never built a funeral coach. My hearse has an 1895 Horsedrawn hearse body mouted to the auto chassis, and this was a common practice prior to WW1, where a horsedrawn hearse would be placed on a chassis, including the Ford. (In 1914 I understand Ford made the chassis available for someone who wished to use their own commercial body (prior to 1914 I understand Ford would void the warranty if you removed the body. Fords were probably used for hearses more then people realize, but that has to do with the low survival rate of antique funeral coaches. The regular Model T's were too short to be used without stretching the chassis (Except perhaps a child's hearse), and that was sometimes done, but the Ford TT was better suited for the length needed for a funeral coach. The Ford on ebay is the type called a carved car, that style fell out of favor by the mid twenties, as the auto gained acceptence, and Funeral directors wanted a more auto like funeral coach, to match the other vehicles in the procession.

As Mike Cullen stated "I'd also think that the T funeral carriage would have not gotten much publicity since most of the people who rode in them didn't boast about the quality of the ride of beauty of the furnishings. <groan>"

You don't see Fords as hearses nowadays, and from as far back as I can remember I have never seen a Ford, Chevrolet, Plymouth, etc. as a hearse. Those are (were) cheap cars, cars for the common man. Those were the best sellers because they were the lowest-priced cars on the market. I've heard many of the older folks talk about the "last ride" and it has been customary for that ride to be in a higher-priced luxury car, many times much more than the deceased could have afforded in life. Even with the horse-drawn hearses, they aren't farm wagons. Incidentally, one of the funeral homes here in town has a beautifully restored horse-drawn hearse, but they don't use it. it sits under a roof with glass panels where you can see it but not touch it.

Anyway, great thread. It is interesting to know that there were as many T hearses as there apparently were. I always thought the Munster's Koach was the only one

I grew up in Millbury MA, a small town 45 minutes west of Boston. The local funeral home has a 1923 Model T hearse that looks a lot like the one that is now being sold in model form. I have told my wife that when I pass she will have to get me from Michiagn to Massachusetts so my final ride can be in a T.

Great car Stan. Is the restoration finished? Looks like a wash and wax would make it very presentable (not that it isn't presentable in the picture...looks good!).

Peter, is that a TT? Looks like TT wheels on the rear. That is one fine-lookin hearse either way. I see what you mean...I think I'll show the picture to the wife and tell her the same thing you told yours

Otto, I had no idea! I'm a fan of almost everything that ain't a Chevy, so I don't want my last ride in one. I've seen Olds and Buicks into the 70's, but never saw a hearse wearing a bowtie

By Warren Mortensen on Thursday, February 14, 2008 - 08:13 am:

A lot of the lower priced hearses were used for pickup and delivery of the deceased to the funeral home. More modern versions were simply modified station wagons (rollers installed in the back) and many funeral homes presently use minivans for this purpose. The high priced hearse was only used for the final ride.

<>A lot of the lower priced hearses were used for pickup and delivery of the deceased to the funeral home.<>Those vehicles are called service cars or casket wagons, and neither the 1938, or Model T hearse are full time service cars. Full time service cars did not have side windows, and were used only for removals and delivering chairs and other materials for the grave side cemetary. Then there were part time service cars, like my 1912 White, used for both removal purposes and funeral services. Typically, Funeral directors perferred showing up to pick up the deceased in a more subdued vehicle that would not attract attention to it's self, and without side windows so the wrapped up body of the deceased was not on display for the whole community to see as they were transported to the funeral home. In my 1912 white, this was handled by having the rear compartmrent divided in two. the upper portion, level with the viewing window, is where the casket would be placed during that final ride to the cemetary. Below that, is the are that would have been used for removals of the deceased. Most typically the Funeral director, in addition to the hearse,would have a van or panel truck (sometimes decorated with wreaths) for utility needs.

This hearse -- the 1938 -- was the only funeral coach in Philipsburg for many years. It was used for whatever services the funeral home needed it for. They may have had other vehicles but this was their hearse. It is, and was, well documented and is, and was, well known in the little town it came from. It was trimmed in full hearse trim with the rollers in the floor, dark maroon velvet upholstery, velvet curtains, etc. I used to have more pictures of it but these are the only two I could find quickly. I sold it to a collector in Tempe, Az; where it went from there I do not know.

The early Professional vehicles served two purposes. As a funeral coach, and as an ambulance !!! Our '50 Cadillac Superior bodied car is one of those combination vehicles. The casket roller assemblies rotate to a flat surface, jump seats for attendant & associate, and side hardware to "lock" ambulance stretcher to the drivers side. The funeral director served as both "rescue squad" & undertaker to his community.

The early Professional vehicles served two purposes. As a funeral coach, and as an ambulance !!! Our '50 Cadillac Superior bodied car is one of those combination vehicles. The casket roller assemblies rotate to a flat surface, jump seats for attendant & associate, and side hardware to "lock" ambulance stretcher to the drivers side. The funeral director served as both "rescue squad" & undertaker to his community.

"many funeral homes presently use minivans for this purpose. The high priced hearse was only used for the final ride." ..............

There are many family owned & operated funeral homes that are professional enough to use a funeral coach for the transport of the deceased from the place of death, be it a nursing home, hospital or residence. There is only one purpose for the funeral coach and that is for the deceased. The only ones who use minivans that I've seen are the large corporate owned outlets.

Please do not confuse corporate with family owned funeral professionals.

Bob, I stand corrected. Actually, the one thing I look for in a funeral home is the family thing. I've always dealt with the same family owned operation that my family has used for the last 50 years. I direct anyone who has the need in their direction since these folks have always dealt in an honest and direct way with me and don't push the high priced stuff at us like so many chains have a reputation of doing. The guys I deal with do use a mini-van for pick up and delivery however. The owner and I talk about his business he explained that he found the mini-van paid for itself in saving wear and tear on the very expensive Caddy hearse (which I drove in my Dad's funeral -- another cost savings for me). Dad actually "went home" in a very decent casket that we bought on clearance since our funeral director wanted to bring a new model into his display area. Dad would have liked that bargain too. I avoid the chains like the plague.

After WW2, I was farming in Calhoun County, Texas, one of the original settlers to that country and a big land owner and rancher was named Archie McDonald, he was well off and a bachelor, his sister was an old maid and a school teacher. He had a small store where we got our mail at Long Mott, and used to sit on the front porch and visit. He also had a teens touring car that sat in a barn and rotted to pieces. A neighbor to the West, very wealthy, lots of oil and gas wells and a lot of cows would come to visit Mr. Mac. They would sit on the porch and spit and whittle and yarn. This friend wore khakis, buttoned up to the top button, and britches inside his handmade boots. Anyway, he showed up one day in a Cadillac pickup, we all marveled at it, come to find out it was a "flower coach" for a funeral home, I think it was built by Superior ?

Having been in the funeral business, here in SoCal, some years ago, I know that all of the mortuaries that I worked at, or knew of, used what we called a "first call" car for the removal of the remains. This was usually a regular station wagon with curtains or etched rear and side glass, though there were a few that used small panel trucks. The coach, though sometimes used for the first call, was reserved for the funeral. There were no hard and fast rules, but this is, generally, how it was done. There were a lot of customs based on locale. It was very rare to see a limo style coach in the western US. The limo coaches have rear side glass so that the casket can be seen from the outside. Forest Lawn, a large corporation here, had several. Flower cars are also seldom seen in the west. Here, the procession to the cemetary was seen as a necessary "evil". Other parts of the country see it as a part of the ceremony, so the display of the floral tributes is a big deal, hence, flower cars. We loaded up the flowers in the first call car and rushed them to the gravesite so they could be ready when the deceased and the family arrived. We never thought that the removal in a vehicle other than the coach was cheesy or disrespectful. It's just the way it was done. Nearly all removals were made from a hospital or the coroner office, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. The few that were made from homes, the family was usually preoccupied and didn't much care what we drove. Being courteous, professional and sympathetic was what counted most

The Mulhane hearse looks very close to one made by the Hoover Wagon Company of York, Pennsylvania. The September-October 2000, Volume 35, Number 5, Vintage Ford has an article on that company, with several photos, starting on Page 28.

I have that same model sitting atop my television cabinet..... a gift from my employer for taking care of his 1950 Cadillac Superior Combination funeral coach !! And yes, I am an undertaker... since 1973 !

Ray: Good as die cast models I suppose, tastefully done. Painted Ok as are the gold accents.... ventilating windshield that way have cranked up & down ( a funeral coachbuilder's detail ), TT axel, wheels that turn & "steerable", both front doors open as well as the "business end" doors. The casket carriage provided is more of a modern design, but the average looker wouldn't know. On the downside, the hand crank doesn't stay put, mine falls off. .... saves on getting as sling.